Sandelin recalls fire horror

Sweden's Jarmo Sandelin has spoken of how he feared for his family in the terrifying apartment block blaze that claimed the life of a neighbour.

After firing a second-round 75 that put him joint 28th at the halfway stage of the Spanish Open,the former Ryder Cup player explained how he raised the alarm when he smelt smoke in his Stockholm apartment block.

He battered down a door with his fire extinguisher and saved a 77-year old woman but couldn't help her husband, who died on the way to hospital.

He told reporters: "I heard a scream but the door where it came from was locked. It was quite an old apartment and luckily the door was not that solid, I got some kind of swing on it and managed to get it open.

"This woman was screaming loudly and there was terrifying dark black smoke coming out. I took a breath and went inside the apartment."

Clarke feeling at home in Holland

Looks like a little piece of Ireland has been transported to the Netherlands, where defending champion Darren Clarke shares the halfway lead in the KLM Dutch Open after a second round 67.

The links at Kennemer has a true Irish feel with four Irishmen in the top 10.

For a while it looked certain that Peter Lawrie would lead the way when he roared to the top on 10 under par before a bogey the seventh, his 16th, and a three-putt double bogey six at the ninth forced him to settle for a 68 that relegated him to a share of seventh place on seven-under.

Harrington cool under fire

Padraig Harrington shelters from a squally shower during the Barclays Scottish Open earlier this month. Picture Stuart Adams /www.golffile.ieDefiant Padraig Harrington is determined to use his mental strength to ignore his critics and prove he’s not finished as a big time player.

The triple major winner is constantly reminded that he hasn’t won on the European or the US Tour for nearly three years and has slumped from third to 64th in the world rankings since his 2008 US PGA win.

But as he plays second fiddle to newly crowned Open champion Darren Clarke and US Open champ Rory McIlroy this week he’s determined to ignore the doubters.